Michigan in the News

On NPR's "All Things Considered,"Richard Curtin, research associate professor at the Survey Research Center and director of the Surveys of Consumers, discussed this year's improvement in consumer sentiment.

In a U.S. News and World Report story about how strong friendships can produce big personal rewards, Toni Antonucci, Elizabeth M. Douvan Collegiate Professor of Psychology, research professor at the Survey Research Center and associate vice president for research in social sciences and humanities, said, "I think we underestimate how important it is in our lives to have relationships."

A TechPresident article about YouTube campaign videos quoted a study by Robert Salmond, assistant professor of political science and faculty associate for the Center for Political Studies, as saying, "Specifically, the audience for YouTube advertisements is younger, richer, more educated, more politically interested, and more partisan than the population at large."

Two young men dressed as Fancy Dancers watch the activity at a past Dance for Mother Earth Powwow. The 40th annual powwow is this Saturday and Sunday at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. Click here for details, and images from a similar event in 2009. (Photo courtesy of the U-M Native American Student Association)

U-M Dexter Health Center, other locations open despite tornadoThe U-M Health System's Dexter Health Center is open for business today, Friday, March 16 despite the tornado and heavy winds that hit the immediate area on Thursday evening. All other UMHS facilities in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area are also open.

Regents approve new School of Nursing building projectThe Board of Regents on Thursday approved construction of a new School of Nursing building with about 75,000 gross square feet to accommodate instructional spaces, a clinical learning center with simulation and skill labs, and simulated patient suites. The proposed location for the new building is near the existing site of the School of Nursing.

$20.5 million in major upgrades coming to Taubman CenterThe U-M Health System will invest $20.5 million in the A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center after the Board of Regents on Thursday approved two projects that will renovate, reorganize and revitalize the center, and add to the range of services offered there.

U-M 'making good progress' in medical resident casePresident Mary Sue Coleman said Thursday the university is "making good progress" on following up on the wide range of matters related to the case of a former medical resident facing federal child pornography charges. A former university senior auditor has been hired to coordinate the university's response to a University Audits report on the case.

Signs of success in global engagementIn the latest post to her blog, "View from the cube," Lisa Rudgers, vice president for global communications and strategic initiatives, discusses recent accomplishments that show how U-M is successfully advancing its global engagement, and that its focus on protecting and enhancing academic quality is recognized worldwide.

Two weeks remain in RecycleMania Entering the final weeks of the nationwide competition, U-M students, faculty and staff have collected almost 376,000 pounds of recyclables so far during RecycleMania 2012. The current collection of total recyclables, 375,831 pounds, ranks U-M 12th out of 278 schools.
• The Planet Blue Student Ambassador Program is seeking applications for the 2012-13 academic year.

The Michigan Difference

Engineering student turned actor
As a sophomore engineering student at U-M Mark Metcalf had no clue he would one day play an iconic role in the 1978 movie "Animal House" and go on to a successful stage, movie and TV acting career. A chance audition for a U-M production of "Henry VI" not only changed Metcalf’s major in college, but gave him the opportunity to help promote local artists, work with young filmmakers and inspire generations of audiences with his memorable roles.